The Voice contestant Richard Tanumi’s death-defying skill

He’s hoping to make his mark with his singing skills during the blind auditions, but Richard Tanumi’s other hobby isn’t for the faint of heart.

Richard Tanumi knows how to stand out in a crowd.

The shirtless green-haired fire twirling singer will make his mark on The Voice Australia stage on Wednesday night, wowing coaches Rita Ora, Guy Sebastian, Keith Urban and Jessica Mauboy.

“I love anything to do with performing,” Tanumi told The Daily Telegraph.

“I took a leap of faith because I really never thought that this would be the route for me. I thought I would just write for other artists and produce and direct. But I felt like the universe was pushing me into this for a reason so I trusted my gut and signed the papers, went into the audition and here we are today.”

Tanumi, 36, was based in Los Angeles for several years up until the start of the pandemic and returned to Australia when the world shut down.

The Voice contestant, performer Richard Tanumi. Photo: Tim Pascoe

He took up fire twirling in 2019 on a trip to Fiji with his mother, who was born there.

“The past couple of years I have really honed my craft,” he said.

Richard Tanumi fire twirling in Sydney. Photo: Tim Pascoe

“I was in Fiji for seven months and it was just the right time. When I was younger, I studied and trained in sports acrobatics, Cirque du Soleil stuff. That propelled me into singing … it has been a gradual evolution over the years.”

Tanumi is also a professional dancer and has toured and appeared in video clips with artists including Kesha, Jason Derulo, Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera.

Fellow contestant Lachie Gill is happy to be referred to as ‘the hot guy from The Voice’, so long as it isn’t all he is known for.

The 24-year-old PE teacher is one of the early favourites on the hit reality singing show, not just because of his vocal abilities but also due to the fact he has the looks to match.

The Voice Australia contestant Lachie Gill at St Kilda beach, Melbourne. Picture: Ian Currie

Social media commentary after Gill’s first appearance on the show last week singled him out as talented and good looking with many swooning.

“I am flattered,” he said. “I am hoping that I can back it up with the singing, that is the main part.

“I don’t mind what people say, as long as they still think I have a good voice and that I am worthy of being there. I don’t want to get through on looks.”

Gill scored four chair turns from coaches Guy Sebastian, Rita Ora, Jessica Mauboy and Keith Urban with his blind audition. When Ora blocked Sebastian, Gill chose the British pop star as his mentor on the show.

“I’d like to hope that I’ve got a bit of a different voice, a different tone that I use in my favour,” he said.

Lachie Gill with girlfriend Yonja Hasan. Picture: Instagram

The singer has another passion – AFL. Picture: Ian Currie

“I don’t have the highest range or the biggest range, but my tone and the emotion that comes through my voice, I think is a big difference between me and some others.”

On the personal front, Gill is in a relationship with girlfriend of one year Yonja Hasan, who owns a clothing store in Frankston, Melbourne.

And outside of singing, he is hugely passionate about AFL football and previously played in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

“Now I’m back just at a local footy club,” he said.

“I obviously can’t play or train as much as I used to because of the music and just wanting to make that more of a commitment to hopefully start a big career.”

Originally published as The Voice contestant Richard Tanumi’s death-defying skill